Complaint Review: joe ryan iii - los angeles CA

I represent the original poster (OP) who is the director that shot and edited an entire music video and delivered it to client Joe Ryan III. I am the OP's entertainment lawyer. We were going to let this go, with just a warning out to others about this individual, but now he surfaces and is trying to discredit the director who worked hard for him for nothing. We may file a civil lawsuit against him if he continues to talk on here and harass my client. Attached is the emails and texts dated that show Joe scamming and lying.

The FACT that matters is the OP director was never paid or compensated in anyway after delivering a finished product. The director delivered the product the same month within 2 weeks they started shooting, but Joe wanted numerous changes and edits done over and over for another 4 weeks that took. By the time the final edita was delivered, only 4-6 weeks had passed total since starting the project. It is a shame when people take advantage of others and I see it often in this industry. The director only made this agreement based on the video being used as the first single video by the label looking into Joe. It was AFTER the video was delivered to Joe's email that he responded with he "decided to go with another director and different song".  We can still press charges against him based on the emails and texts we have stored just incase. everything is timestamped. There was no exact date given to the director when it needed to be finished, so he finished it as soon as possible under no charge and just the agreement that it would be used. This was a FAVOR the director was doing for Joe.

The director is actually a multi-award winning artist in music producing, engineering, singer/songwriting, and directing. 2 wins and 2 other nominations at some of the most prestigious award shows around. He did not need anything from Joe. He liked the kid and thought he could help him. The reality TV thing is irrelevant. A grammy winning friend of the directors submitted the OP on there for fun is all. My client did not know it was a hiphop only show, and was removed from it for creating non-hiphop music. since it was just for fun, he really did not care. this had nothing to do with this deal and scam with joe. Joe remembered the OP telling him he was a director when they talked so Joe reached out to him later on after the tv pilot eneded saying "i need a video done and if you do it I will use it as the first single with the label im working with, this can be a $150,000 salary gig opportunity if they want you to also start directing more of their clients after".

Joe was so impressed with the directors other music project that he offered to master some songs for free just so he can be a part of it. The director is a proven award winning producer and did not "need" Joe for any of that. He was doing anohter favor for Joe. it was a side agreement for fun because Joe begged him to let him mix and master them. the original poster never recieved any of those mixes anyways from him. more smoke/lies. just like Joe's agreement to use the songs and video for the label as the first single. more smoke/lies.

facts: every single thing Joe said he promised to deliver to the director, was NEVER delivered. saved emails and texts can verify that in a court case

facts: every single thing the director said he promised to deliver, was delivered. a full music video shot and edited for weeks and weeks. saved emails and texts can verify that in a court case

Whats Joe did was extremely low. He promised the director things and when it didn't come fast enough for his own personal desire, went back on his word immediately only AFTER final product was sent. If he was going to go with another song and director, he should have notified the OP director to cancel the project before it was done instead of making him continue to work on it. it was being worked on for weeks and weeks. He waited until the final product was emailed to him, downloaded it, then replied with he decided to go with another for a different song. (something he decided secretly while waiting for the OP's video to get done) Now he has a music video that the OP worked hard on, for nothing.

Also the OP had cameras to use and Joe wanted him to use Joe's camera. They were similar models but Joe thought his might be slightly better. They compared both their cams side by side. They still used the OP's lens, and the OP's video editing somftware. the also used the OP's vehicle to get to the shooting locations. All joe had to do was show up a few times to be shot and thats it. The director had to spend weeks doing editing at his home studio on his own.

I tell my clients all the time, it is so important to get a written contract before you do any work for anyone if you are not getting paid upfront. After weeks and weeks of slaving for Joe, Joe decided to do something else. With a contract, that prevents unreliable people from doing just that. Luckily we have at least emails and texts that go back to solidify the original poster's story.

I'M NOT SAYING DON'T WORK FOR JOE RYAN III, JUST BE WEARY WORKING FOR & MAKE SURE YOU GET PAID UPFRONT OR HAVE CONTRACTUAL AGREEMENT.

This director is not telling the truth in any way. He was very unprofessional and wasn't give 3 months to complete a task that he said would take 3 weeks. He did not have the equipment he stated he would be using so we ended up using my own equipment. Our agreement was that I would mix and master a 4 song project for him and he would compensate me by shooting a music video. He then consistently attempted to change the deadline of when the work could be completed and blamed it on him having to leave the city frequently, when twice upon being in Hollywood I saw him and both times asked "I thought you were out of town on business?"

To which he answered "I got back early" both times, and after I would ask about the product he would then say "I need more time because my computer crash and I have to rebuild my hard drive" or "I have a performing event that I have to practice for" or "I am finished but the file is corrupt so I have to start over." After giving this young man multiple chances, I then told him that it was his final chance to meet me with some progress of what he was working on to which he then stated he would bring over to my apartment the next day. He never showed up and when I sent him a message stating that I will be going with someone else for the video, he began saying some of the most horrid and disrespectful things I have ever heard and continued to tell me how I was going to be "done in Hollywood forever".

I met this guy on a pilot TV Show shooting of which I won, and he was the first music producer excused from the show, so I thought I was doing a noble thing by having him showcase his talent on something I was doing because of how bad he cried when he lost the contest and begged for me to involve him in something I was doing. He chose to completely be unprofessional, untrustworthy, and did not meet one deadline, and then upon me choosing to not deal with it anymore, he threw a tantrum and has made up this extremly false storyline to try and get sympathy and make my name have negativity attached to it. This is the entire story and I was shocked to even find something so ridiculous online, especially after how many chances he was given to make things right. The report he has filed is 100% untrue. 

Joe Ryan III